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Employee and Labor Relations

With deep experience in labor laws, we can help organizations to formulate their strategic goals, apply best practice and deal with collective employee issues as they arise. 

The laws relating to employer relations are increasingly central to corporate strategy. Issues such as compliance with international treaties, consultation over business reorganization, whistleblowing or basic employment law compliance require navigating complex regulatory and business frameworks. 

With many years’ experience working in collective employment issues, labor relations and disputes, our teams are well placed to advise clients on domestic, cross-border and international matters. 

Local insights, global outlook: DLA Piper is one of the few employment practices able to combine labor law experience in multiple countries with global resources and a strong local presence in Africa. We understand specific legal, cultural, regulatory and economic issues that affect employment in the region, advising extensively across the entire field of collective labor relations. 

Key capabilities include: 

  • trade union recognition and de-recognition
  • setting up national information and consultation forums, and works councils
  • conduct of trade union officials and employee representatives
  • contractual force of trade union agreements
  • industrial action ballots, strike action, industrial action short of a strike and picketing
  • impact on third parties of industrial action
  • collective bargaining and pre-bargaining negotiating strategies 

For multinationals in Africa that may be targeted by a national and global strategic labor campaign, our Global Strategic Union Campaigns team is ready to coordinate and execute a comprehensive response on a national, regional and global footing. 

Please contact us to discuss how we can help you to achieve your objectives.